Anna Johnson is a jeweler and metalsmith in Asheville, North Carolina, specializing in casting and preserving biotic subjects and accentuating the value of media often deemed disposable. The artist’s process includes intimacy with her subjects, personally cleaning and stabilizing bone or foraging for plants to cast in precious metals. These methods result in sculptures perceived in two waves: the first as elegant and visually pleasing, shortly followed by a second realization of the macabre and taboo.

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“This body of work considers... the materialistic function of adornment, these pieces nod to intrinsic, holistic value by incorporating typically undervalued, overlooked, or discarded elements found in the natural world. Through this work, I urge those to take a second look; to question what is typically valued, what is not, and why.” -Artist Statement